Below is some basic advice, but do talk to other divers before you rush out and spend your hard earned $. Be very wary of advice given by an LDS, as they're usually going to want to sell what they have in stock. I made that mistake first time around, and within two years found myself selling most of what I had bought because I'd outgrown it.
If you're going to dive off the Pacific NW then you're going to need a drysuit straight off. Find what dive clubs there are in your area and go along to each in turn. Hopefully you'll find one that feels right for you. Then watch what more experienced divers there do, and ask questions. Don't buy a drysuit until you've had the views of at least 6 people who use them regularly. When you do buy one, the most important aspects of fit (which is critical) concern the length of the legs and the size of the boots.
There are different materials used for drysuits. I have several of different types, but I'd suggest your first one be trilaminate, worn over a high quality Thinsulate purpose-made inner suit. Don't skimp on the inner suit, and make sure the outer suit fits you properly. Have proper training with an experienced drysuit diver (doesn't have to be an instructor), and make sure your first few outings are with experienced drysuit divers (which is why you should join a club).
[I've just seen Stevead's post and I agree fully. Many people in England buy thick semi-dry suits (despite the name, a type of wetsuit) and go out on all-day dive trips. I have NEVER known anyone using one of these to do the second dive of the day, as they've lost so much body heat. They're quite expensive, but one you realise you need a drysuit you'll never use it again. Stevead is the sort of instructor you want to find in your area.]
You'll need a suit for warm water diving, but I wouldn't bother with that until you need it. You'll probably find a well fitting full 3mm (or 5/3mm) will work for any warm water diving you do. The fit is again critical, much more than the design or the thickness.
You'll need open heel fins for cold water diving. Don't get them until you have the drysuit, as they need to be big enough to slide on and off easily over the integral boots. There are lots of ideas on fins, but my view is (as with all gear) the simpler the better. You'll find all Mares fins are well made, and in particular I use and love the basic one, the Avanti Plana (the one with just two black rubber flex slots). Not sure if they're still made by Mares, but they are certainly made by someone. They're (relatively) cheap and very effective, and last for ever. If you're going to dive around kelp forests you'll probably have close encounters with seals, and they love to play with yellow fins. A similar fin that's also good is the Cressi Frog. I'd avoid split fins as they don't give much propulsion. If you want to invest a lot of money in Force fins you probably won't ever regret it, but personally I'd leave that until later.
For warm water buy yourself some neoprene booties, the low cut ones without zips are the best as the zips always give trouble, and your new fins should fit over them just fine.
There are lots of regs to choose from, but as Ladbak said you'll need one that works well in cold water. Get one that's hermetically sealed, as it lasts longer and performs more consistently. Sometimes that's achieved by fitting an after-market kit. Regs I like that would be suitable include any Apeks (look at the 100 & 200 series), the Scubapro Mk25/S600, and the Aqualung Titan, though there are lots of others. Go for a simple console that has a depth gauge & pressure gauge.
You'll need your own BC for local diving. For use with a drysuit I'd recommend you look at harness & wing combinations, as they're more comfortable. For warm water I'd probably choose a conventional jacket-style BC, but if you're only going to get one I'd go for the wing version. You don't need to use a backplate and personally I wouldn't, so get a soft harness that works with a single tank and can be adapted to take doubles later on when your diving has developed. But this is definitely somewhere where you'd benefit greatly from observing what others do. Remember that a drysuit is very bulky, so make sure it will fit you over the drysuit.
I greatly prefer integrated weights, especially when I'm drysuit diving and have a lot of lead on me. That's an aspect of the BC though it may be an extra - see whether it's available for the one you like. If you prefer separate weights then for drysuit diving get a shoulder harness. They will never slip off, whereas a conventional weight belt carrying a lot of lead can easily slip over the smoothed hips offered by a drysuit, resulting in an involuntary and meteoric ascent - I've seen that too many times, even with very experienced divers.
I'm ignoring mask/snorkel as I assume you have them already. If not, choose a simple low volume mask - avoid side/bottom windows and purge valves. Even if you think you'd like something sophisticated like an Oceanic Datamask ($1500) or a convex mask resist these temptations for the time being - go for something simple. $50 should cover it. If you have short sight get a two lens mask that you can fit corrected lenses into. If you have long sight, get one or two glass planar-convex lenses (avoid the plastic ones) and cement them into the lower outer corners with clear neoprene cement.
A computer is a good idea from the start. I'd recommend a watch-style one that can handle two nitrox mixes, as that will be virtually future-proof. Don't get an integrated one.
For cold water you'll want a hood and gloves. I strongly recommend you go for thin ones - 2mm. Thicker will keep you warmer but can be oppressive to wear - get used to thin ones and only then buy thicker if you need them. I've used 2mm hood and gloves in below-freezing water on ice dives and have never had a problem, but I bought some 5mm gloves and found I couldn't feel anything with them on. I only ever wore them twice - I think they're at the bottom of my UK dive bag somewhere. Don't consider dry gloves until you're quite experienced - with over 2000 cold water dives I've never felt the need for them.
Extras you'll need. A compass is always useful. A console mounted one tends to be difficult to use accurately, so I'd go for a wrist-mount quality one - in my experience the ones that last longest are Suunto. You'll want a small slate that fits into a BC pocket, plus a pencil of course, and a scotch pad to clean it under water.
Another extra that's normal in northern Europe and may be in your area, though it's unusual in warm water areas, is a DSMB and locking reel. A Delayed Surface Markey Buoy can be inflated at depth from a second stage and deployed at depth on the line/reel as you start your ascent. A decent one gives you an excellent ascent platform and of course the boat knows where you are. More to the point, other boats should see it and avoid you. Use a permanent marker to write your name on the DSMB near the top, so a boat can identify you. The conventional colour in Europe for a DSMB for routine deployment and ascent is red. Yellow is reserved for emergencies, so buy a red one. I don't know what US manufacturers make decent ones, but I use DSMB and reel both made by AP Valves in England. A cheap DSMB won't give much buoyancy and won't last long - the Scubapro ones are horrible - but a good one will last for years and is so buoyant you can make yourself negative and hang from it, ideal when you're in open water and rough seas.
A small high intensity lamp is good to carry with you on all dives. I use an Ikelite PCa 6-AA lamp that works really well.
I think that's about all the basic equipment. There are all sorts of things you may want to get later on, but don't buy anything until you can see a need for it.
Hope that helps.
and a woolly hat - the woolly hat keeps your head warm on the boat and looks ridiculous but hey you are thinking of jumping into cold water with a rubber suit after all 
